During the holidays, many of us think of the needs of the less fortunate and give with great compassion and generosity. Unfortunately homelessness and the barriers that keep families and individuals from escaping homelessness live beyond the "twelve days of Christmas".

This year we met a single mother who was employed at our local post office, due to circumstances she and her four children were faced with no longer having a place to call home. We were very fortunate to have a vacancy in our family housing program and were able to offer them support until they could save enough money to pay a rental deposit and have the ability to get back on their feet.

Your donations make this possible every day of the year. This year the national United Way campaign challenged each of us to think about what matters. Here is what we have come to know at Yolo Wayfarer Center.

What matters is that when an elderly couple is faced with the choice to buy groceries or pay the utility bill, your donation provided meals and groceries so they didn't have to choose.

What matters is when a family becomes homeless due to the loss of a job, your donation provided a warm bed and a safe place for that family to get back on their feet.

But most importantly, what matters is that when a homeless individual - someone's mentally ill son, someone's drug addicted daughter, a young person failed by our foster care system, or a veteran who gave his all, when they have lost all hope, you have provided for them a place where hope can be found, that is what matters.

What matters is you, and the difference you make. I challenge you to make 2007 a year where you focus on what matters.

Leona Jull
Executie Director
Yolo Wayfarer Center